Through the Pain
by xTheAnonymousWriterx
Summary: Percy Jackson isn't exactly your saviour of Olympus anymore. He is depressed and it isn't just the depression, it's the full on suicidal thoughts and cutting. Nobody knows, no one needs to know. Percy finds it unnecessary for people to worry about their hero. But he needs help that will save his life. His life won't be ending on monsters terms, it'll end on his own terms.
1. Chapter 1

**Through the Pain**

** Summary: Percy Jackson isn't exactly your saviour of Olympus anymore. He's more like your regular camp depressed buddy. Yep, Percy Jackson is depressed and it isn't just the depression, it's the full on suicidal thoughts and cutting. Nobody knows, no one needs to know. Percy finds it unnecessary for people to worry about their hero. But what he doesn't realize is that he can't hide it forever and it could potentially save his life.**

** But will the way Percy's dealing with everything be his death instead of a monster?**

** SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Red Hands by Walk off The Earth**

**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**

**_Chapter 1: Come Back Down_**

Percy was laying on his bed, staring at the roof of his cabin and waiting for sleep to come. He wasn't expecting it, it rarely did come over him, but maybe tonight would be different. Maybe tonight he would actually sleep a bit. Even though Percy told himself that every night, he didn't even believe it. It was just a mantra full of lies.

Outside a harpy screeched, making Percy flinch at the sound.

_You never did this before Tartarus. You never acted so scared. So what's wrong with you? Can't you just get a grip?_ Percy thought to himself, scowling. _PTSD my butt. Depression my dingoes anus. You aren't the guy who save Olympus. You're just some shmuck that slits his wrists and has arguments about committing suicide. Man up, Percy. People are thinking you're crazy._

"You are," Percy whispered dully to himself. He turned onto his side and curled his knees up closer to his stomach, turning him into the fetal position. One hand tucked under his cheek, the other curling into his body. Percy shivered as he looked for some body heat, but just like he had been since Tartarus, Percy remained stone cold. Stone-cold. The only warmth on his body was probably his armpits, which were perspiring like crazy as images flashed through his mind. Of course, his entire body was sweating, but that was a cold sweat. He was still freezing. And it wasn't just a mental thing, his skin was literally _cold_. Almost like he was dead.

Percy groaned and rolled off his bed, sliding towards the closet. He pulled open the doors and squinted to see something in the dark. Clothes were in heaps on the floor and a shield was propped against the wall with a pair of boxers handing off of it. But that wasn't what he was looking for, so he shoved it away with a clang. What was Percy looking for?

A pocket knife. One that he only used for self harm issues. There was also a razor in the closet, but Percy preferred the knife. His hand touched something rough and scratchy, making him smile. It was a rope. A rope for suicide. Percy had strung it up once and stuck his head through the noose, but he had chickened out and taken it down. Which for most people would be a good thing-if people knew. But for Percy it just made him worse and after he had chicked out he had cut his wrists deeply multiple times in anger with himself.

"Where is the stupid knife?" Percy hissed quietly, tossing a shirt over his head. "Aha!" Percy reached for the gleaming silver object and sat back on his behind, still in front of the closet. He flicked up the blade and looked at it then down at his scarred wrists. But he didn't attach it to his skin and instead put the blade back in it's slot and went back to his bed, crawling under the covers with the pocket knife clutched in his fist. Somehow it spread warmth through his body and Percy fell asleep quickly.

* * *

Percy was awakened by the conch horn for breakfast. He shot out of bed, shoving the pocket knife under his pillow then slipped a sweater over his head to cover his mauled arms.

_Mauled by your own hands_, Percy snorted at his thought then headed down towards the dining pavilion. He passed by the Athena cabin and Annabeth waved to him. Percy gave a tootless smile back and continued on his way.

Everyone knew about Percy's PTSD and anxiety, they knew about that, but no one had a clue that he cut himself everyday. Not even his own mother. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Percy entered the pavilion and got his food then walked over to the fire pit, scraping his fluffiest, most chocolate filled pancake in and whispering, "Poseidon, I'm suffering. Please just let me die." Then he turned aorund and smiled at Lacy as if he hadn't just begged to die and went back to his table, eating breakfast alone like usual.

After breakfast Percy went back to his cabin to clean-which basically meant to hide all the weapons of depression. He had a nook in his closet wall where he put the pocket knife, razor, rope and pills so he shoved those in there and placed the shield up against it again, making it hidden. Then he looked around his cabin and almost had a heart attack when he saw the blood on the floor from previous cutting. He rushed to the bathroom and wetted a cloth, going back to scrub at the blood. Just as he was finishing there was a knock at his door and he tossed the cloth back into the bathroom before opening the door at the same time he pulled down his sleeves.

Will and Clarisse looked at him. Clarisse looked bored out of her pig-brained mind and looked at Will, waiting for him to do the inspection. With a roll of his eyes Will stepped into the room and looked around. Percy was feeling twitchy, anxious as they stepped into cabin 3. Clarisse was looking at him with her small eyes that burned with hatred. Will pointed a toe at the wet spot on the floor and asked, "What was here?"

"Mud," Percy replied, swallowing as he kept his voice from shaking. Will nodded and wrote down an eight.

"Your cabin's actually pretty good, Jackson. Who'd ya pay to clean it?" Will joked. Percy didn't answer and his eyes flicked around the room, going to the closet. Will noticed the movement and, knowing better than to touch Percy, nodded at him then was dragged out of the cabin by Clarisse. Percy gulped in air, trying to control his anxiety. His head was light and buzzing, making him stumble.

Percy tore open the closet and grabbed the knife again, sinking onto his floor and bringing out the blade. Then he put it on his wrist and pulled across without hesitation. Relief ran through his veins and he did it again and again. Cuts and scars overlapped each other, making a crisscrossing checkerboard of Percy's forearms. The blad switched from his right hand to his left and he started marking the opposite arm. Blood was running hot down his arms and tears were like acid in his eyes. But it didn't hurt, it felt _good_, so he didn't stop. The blood was thick on his arms, making a pool of red. A couple droplets hit the floor and then the knife did, making a loud thudding noise. Percy's eyes widened at the intense damage he'd down and rushed to the bathroom and ran some water over his arms, watching the blood swirl down the drain as it mixed with the water, making it lighter.

"Percy?" a voice called from outside of the cabin. Percy cursed under his breath and pulled down his sweater sleeves, but the cuts were still bleeding and he felt it trickle down his arms as he opened the door. It was Piper, strangely enough.

Piper eyed Percy and asked, "Are you okay? It looks like you were crying." Percy bit his lip and shrugged, "Just another attack. I'm fine."

"Percy!" Piper screeched. "You know you're supposed to tell someone when you have anxiety attacks! They're serious, Perce. You know what Will said to you about them. Come on, Annabeth wants to talk to you."

Percy's eyes widened and he pulled away from Piper. She looked at him, confused and so far she hadn't seen the blood that was reddening Percy's fingers. His vision wasn't focusing properly and Piper was all blurry. He reached out and grabbed the door frame. The daughter of Aphrodite lunged forward and grabbed Percy as his knees folded in on themselves. She called for help and dragged Percy away from his cabin. A couple Apollo kids ran towards them, coming from the stables and took Percy from Piper.

"What happened?" one asked. Piper shrugged helplessly. The Apollo kid nodded and helped the others carry Percy to the infirmary. Piper turned and ran towards the archery where cabin 6 was. She called for Annabeth who looked up and the second she saw Piper's frantic expression she sprinted towards her.

"What? What happened?" she asked quickly. Piper barely got out, "Percy. He just collapsed suddenly. He told me he had had an attack before and it might be from that, but I don't know. They're taking him to the infirmary." Annabeth shoved passed Piper, running at full speed and Piper followed suite. Annabeth barged into the infirmary to see Percy unconscious with bandages on his arms and an Apollo camper putting ambrosia in his mouth. Annabeth rushed forward.

"What happened!? Tell me!" she snapped. The doctor wiped a hand underneath her nose and said, "His arms were all cut up. We don't know if he got attacked by something _in _his cabin or if . . . ya know, if he made the cuts himself. They were deep though." Piper paled at that, looking at the still frame of her friend. Annabeth had gone white as a sheet as well. The doctor cleared her throat, "We think it's the latter, because only some were bleeding. There were other scars, lots of 'em, they run up and down his arms. Some look pretty old."

Annabeth turned on the girl, looking quite angry, as if she was blaming the doctor. "Are you saying Percy _cut_? Percy would never do that. Not my Percy. He's a happy person and would _never ever_ think of it. Something must have gotten to him. That must be it. I would have to be stupid to think Percy would do that kind of thing."

The daughter of Apollo grimaced. "I'm sorry Annabeth, but it's the only logical answer. I thought you were all about logicality. You know he hasn't been the same since Tartarus and you know first hand how much he's had and still has on his shoulders. And between the PTSD and anxiety he was bound to give in sometime. He's find now though, but if I were you I'd check his cabin for something before he wakes up. I hope you know I'll be telling Chiron that that's what I think it is, because we can't be having a suicidal camper now, can we?"

Annabeth fumed and gave Percy once last brush of his hair before turning on her heal and storming out of the infirmary, most likely to _not_ go snoop in her boyfriends cabin. Piper and the Apollo girl exchanged glances and Piper gave an apologetic smile before leaving as well.

* * *

_ Percy had lost all his senses. He couldn't see, feel, smell, speak or hear anything. He felt like he was laying in a coffin hundreds of feet under the ground, his body burning from the heat of the earth. Flashes of colour every now and then would make him cringe in pain, curling up in a little ball. At least, that's what he thinks he was doing, but his body was numb so he wasn't sure if he really was curling up or not._

_ He didn't remember anything about how he had gotten here. Maybe he was kidnapped, or maybe he really_ was _dead. Annabeth would kill him if he was. Kill him again . . . or bring him back to life, which seemed more of a horror to Percy. Did Poseidon answer his prayer and end Percy's life? If he did, Percy felt kind of unloved. He wanted to die, but he didn't think his dad was actually willing to end his pitiful life._

_Another flash of neon colour burned Percy's eyes, but he couldn't see anything other than that. It didn't light up anything like it should've, it stayed solid yet bright, but displayed no illumanation on anything. Maybe he was just unconscious, something in him said he wasn't ready to die and give his soul up to Hades' underwear._

_ If Percy had a bucket list, that would most_ definitely _not be on there. To have a life with Annabeth, yes. Selling his soul for eternal damnation of the holding junk? No thanks. He could do without._

Can I be anymore ADHD?_ Percy thought with a mental sigh of degrading of himself. Suddenly an explosion of colour slammed into Percy, making him gasp._

_It didn't last long because Percy had already slipped away._

** Done Chapter 1 of Through the Pain. I think this was pretty good for a starter chapter. Of course there will be more coming, I'm not some kind of person who writes one chapter and just seems to die. I don't do that. So I'm hoping that Chapter 2 will be up soon, but I'm not promising much, because I'm really busy. **

** So, anyways, this is my first time on FanFiction and I'm not sure what we do here. I think it's reviewing. . .? I think so. Please review! Of course, I'm not forcing you, it would just be nice. And um, if there's anything that confused you the first time you came on this site, please tell me how you figured it out, because I'm confused out of my mind . **

** Enjoy!**

**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Can You Keep a Secret?**

**SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Mama by My Chemical Romance (By the way, this is just the song I am currently listening to)**

* * *

Annabeth would not stop fussing over Percy, even when he told her he was fine. Piper, Annabeth, Chiron and the Apollo kids all knew that Percy had cut himself since Tartarus, but he begged them not to tell anyone else. At least not quite yet. But he was regretting having Annabeth and Piper know because they would not shut up about it. The Apollo kids and Chiron understood, but the two girls did not.

"Percy, just tell me _why_. Then I'll stop bothering you. But can you at least tell me why? You have to have a reason because this isn't like you. You are the last person I would suspect as a depression victim," Annabeth said, looking at Percy with concerned eyes as he walked back to his cabin. He was wearing a sweater, covering his arms, but Annabeth was holding his wrists, as if scared of what was underneath. Percy was feeling better, except for the sinking feeling that he was now going to be forever pestered about this.

With a sigh he stopped walking and face Annabeth abruptly. "Look, it's Tartarus, Gabe, and just being a demigod in general. Everything just seems to be hitting me like a tidal wave right now. Tartarus was so horrible, Annabeth, you would know. That's what brought the PTSD but Gabe brought the anxiety. All the stuff he used to do is hitting home. And I guess cutting is my way of escaping."

Annabeth shook her head, her blonde locks swaying and she asked in a whispery tone, "What did Gabe do to you Percy? What is it that's hitting home?" She was standing closer to Percy now, searching his unending green eyes for some sort of answer or solution. But his walls had already gone up and he started turning away to avoid the question, but Annabeth's hold was tight and she was not going to let him get away with no answer.

"Percy, what did Gabe do?"

Somewhere in the strawberry fields a pipe was playing and Percy tried to tune in on that instead, but Annabeth's voice was still drilling his head, forcing unwanted memories into it with just that one simple question. He wondered if she was started to guess what it might be. She was smart and Gabe was . . . well, Gabe. A drunk and everyone knows where drunk's always end up.

"He hit me," whispered Percy, looking down. He hated feeling weak like this. It wasn't something a hero did; they spoke with loud, confident voices, not quiet, ashamed ones. Heroes didn't let stupid things like being abused and being stuck in Tartarus for a month bother them. Percy's resume for being a hero had failed. He hadn't been cut out for the job.

Annabeth seemed shocked by Percy's answer and he felt the bitter comment on his tongue, _'Yeah, I know. It's stupid. Because having a drunk alcoholic step father is totally someone who doesn't abuse the helpless kid. Are you kidding Annabeth? How could you not see it!?'_ How did _Grover_ not see it? Percy would got to school with bruises and scrapes everyday. Sometimes even a broken or sprained limb. Yet the 'protector' didn't suspect a thing.

"Gabe _hit_ you?" Annabeth said in a scary tone. It was frosted over with ice and blazing like Tabasco sauce, the voice she used when she was about to explode. Percy only nodded. "That jerk _hit_ you!? Like, child abuse!?"

"Annabeth, don't say it so loud," Percy hissed, pulling away from her roughly. "Yes, Gabe hit me. He liked to smack me around when mom was gone-which was about always. And it wasn't some pity fest of abuse, he nearly killed me. And it's all coming back _now_. Why now? I don't know. But I'm remembering in high quality of what he did to me. I have so many scars from him I can't even count that high. And now I have scars from _myself because_ of him. Don't act like you never suspected it, it's the normal thing alcoholics do. They hit the more vulnerable people. So yeah, child abuse. But I don't need anyone knowing about that. I've already had one of my secrets practically sent through mass text, I don't need this one shooting out the cannon either."

Percy was met by stunned silence from his girlfriend, making him feel smug yet guilty. Finally she shook her head and said, "I'm so sorry, Percy. I never knew, I honestly never knew. You were always so happy I didn't think Gabe even _touched_ you. I'm really, really sorry Percy."

It was Percy's turn to be shocked into complete silence. Annabeth never apologized for anything that wasn't her fault and it had to be her fault entirely. She also never responded to someone elses outburst with a soft and recoiled tone. She usually snapped right back and bit that person in the butt. Percy had stepped away from her, leaving a large space between the two. His arms were pulled close to him in a protective way, not even allowing his girlfriend-his other _half_-touch him. He twitched as he (without his own will) started thinking about Gabe again. A sweat broke out everywhere on his body and his throat was starting to squeeze shut.

Annabeth knew immediately what was going on. "Hey, Percy, hey, it's okay. Shh, just calm down. Gabe's gone now, remember? Your mom turned him into a statue and sold him. It's fine, shh, it's fine. You're safe here." She cautiously reached out for Percy and when he didn't do anything she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into her. Her breath was heating up Percy's neck, but he had gone numb all over and he couldn't even feel her embrace.

She continued to whisper sweet nothing's into his ear in an attempt to calm him down, but it wasn't working this time and he continued to tremble. She pulled back and put her hands up to the side of his face, placing her fingers over his ears to make him focus on only one thing. Looking at her. His face was shiny with a sheen of sweat, but Annabeth ignored it as she placed her hands on his firey hot cheeks.

A few people were starting to notice Percy's melt down, murmuring amongst themselves whether or not to get Chiron. Annabeth glanced to the side and noticed Will starting to move forward while one of Annabeth's sister's starting running towards the archery range to get the Centaur. Will stopped a little ways away and Annabeth shot him a look, telling him to stop where he was. She looked back at Percy, who's breathing was fast and irratic.

"You're going to be all right, okay? Tartarus is over, Gabe is gone and _nobody_ is going to stress you to do anything. If you want you can go back home and see your mom, act as un-demigoddish as you want. Nobody is going to force you into anything," Annabeth said. Tears sprung into Percy's eyes, immediately filling them up and threatening to fall. "No, don't cry, Percy. Shh, shh." But Percy was already gone, stuck in some flashback but still in reality enough to know what was happening.

Annabeth knew they were creating a scene out in the middle of the camp and she figured she should get him to his cabin, but he wouldn't budge. A tear ran down his cheek and she swiped it away with her thumb, still trying to hush him. Chiron had come and was watching carefully from a safe distance. Everyone knew not to get to close to Percy when he was having an anxiety attack. One and only one person was allowed to try and console him at a time. Otherwise it gets to much.

Even the Stolls knew not to take a picture of the great Percy Jackson breaking. They didn't even try, knowing that it was not something to be joked about.

_Especially not now_, Annabeth thought. _Now that it was something that had caused Percy to self harm. If somebody even said the slightest thing wrong Percy would probably do _it_ again._

Then Percy grabbed Annabeth and hugged her tightly, burying his face into the crook of her neck and she felt the tears he had been holding in fall from his eyes, soaking her shoulder. She held him, rubbing his back. Chiron quietly told people to go back to their activities and they slowly dispersed. Only Will stayed. Percy's body was quivering as he silently cried. Over his shoulder Annabeth gave Chiron a torn and broken look and he just put his head down.

"I keep seeing it. All of it. I would just get home from school and he would start _hitting_ and _punching_ me. He would slam me into the walls. For no reason at all. I was just his punching bag," Percy said in a shaking, breathless voice. "My mom never knew, she thought it was just bullies at school because that's _what I told her_. She had called the school but-but they didn't do anything about the people who really _were_ bullying me. It was constant hurt, Annabeth. All the time. All the time."

Annabeth closed her eyes and breathed lightly in Percy's ear. "Shh, you don't have to talk about it. Nobody's going to hurt you anymore. I have you, I've got you Percy." She felt weird telling him that, but she shook it off repeating, 'This is for Percy. You're here for Percy right now'.

It took almost five more minutes before Percy had calmed down enough to let go of Annabeth. And when he did his face was blotchy and his eyes puffy and vulnerable. Just seeing him like that broke Annabeth's heart. She grabbed both of his hands, making him flinch, and just held them. His sweater sleeve slid up and he quickly ripped his hand from hers and pulled it down again, then he returned his hand to hers.

He looked sheepish as he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assault you or anything."

"If that's assault then those random kisses must be rape," Annabeth said, snorting. Percy didn't laugh, and instead got a guarded look over his face, making Annabeth wonder what she said wrong. But she pushed it away for the time being and decided to stop asking questions. "Do you want to go to the docks?" Annabeth wondered, knowing the water would make Percy feel better.

But the reaction was the complete opposite. Percy almost looked hesitant before shrugging (shrugging!) and saying, "I guess so. But, um, can you not ask questions?" Annabeth gave a sad smile before replying, "I won't, Seaweed Brain. Just know that I'll be asking about Tartarus tomorrow, okay? But like I said, I'm not pressuring you into something you don't want to do." Percy nodded and followed her down the hill towards the lake. Chiron and Will watched, waiting for something unexpected, but Percy seemed pretty exhausted.

Once down by the lake, Annabeth struggled to keep her promise about no questions. A couple times she almost asked one, but when she saw Percy's locked up expression, her heart died a little and she just squeezed his hand. It was weird, not having Percy talk and talk and talk. He was dead silent, staring with even more dead eyes at the sparkling lake.

"I love you," Annabeth said, leaning her head on Percy's shoulder. His eyes look down and he blinked a couple times before answering, "I love you too, Wise Girl. I'm sorry about what I'm doing."

Annabeth sat up and looked at him. "What do you mean?" Percy twisted his fingers, "I'm sorry about cutting. Just didn't know what else to do I guess. I've been doing it since Tartarus, so, that's what, four months? I started when we were still on the Argo. And I've, uh, I think about suicide." Annabeth tried not to show her concern and instead swallowed hard. She laced her fingers through Percy's.

Percy shook slightly with a shiver and whispered, "Can you keep this a secret? For now anyways?"

Annabeth nodded and neither of them said a word for the rest of the day.

* * *

**I seriously struggled to figure out how to udpate . Took me forever to actually figure out how to get the chapter attached to the book. Phew. . . . I think I have it now though. **

**Please review! Anything you think needs changing or something I could try different is welcome, but please nothing rude or mean. That would make me sad and kinda put my self-esteem in the negatives. And we move on to chapter three. **

**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**


	3. Chapter 3

**SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars**

**Chapter 3: To Far Gone**

* * *

It was during supper the next night when Percy heard the whispers and murmurs as eyes flicked towards him then immediately went away when he looked. Somehow he got the feeling that his whole depressed thing had gotten out to camp and they were all _judging. _And Percy didn't do well with judgment because he believed every word of it. Well, he couldn't hear most conversations. But he did catch a few words, and all just made him feel worse than he already was feeling.

"-slit his wrists."

"Is he, like, emo?"

"-Saviour of Olympus-"

"Broken-"

"Since Tartarus-right under their noses."

Percy tried to ignore it and slid into his seat, placing his food on the table and staring at it. Not touching it, just staring, as if it was a prized trophy he wasn't proud of. The hissing of undertoned speaking pierced his eardrums, not stopping for a second. Chiron's eyes were drilling into Percy's shoulder, everyone elses setting small flames on his skin and then snuffing out.

He wasn't proud of what he did to himself. Who was? It was just something he had done once because he couldn't handle it anymore and then he just wasn't able to stop. The weird thing was, he didn't want to stop. Percy enjoyed feeling the blade tear his skin open and he like the feeling of the blood dripping down, leaving him weaker and weaker with every second he didn't stop it. He wasn't emo, just depressed. Nico was emo, but he didn't cut. At least, Percy didn't think he did.

A couple dryads walked by, glancing at Percy with sympathetic looks that he looked down at. It made him angry that people felt bad for him and wanted to comfort him. He didn't know how to recieve the comfort. For all his life Percy had been the one giving out comfort and getting none in return, even when he needed it most. So he'd learn self comfort, that's a good reason for why he had cut. It wasn't that he was cold hearted (because maybe he was), Percy just didn't-_couldn't_-take the comfort. It felt wrong to him. Like he was stealing back something he had given.

"Percy!" Grover bleated, trotting towards his friend. Percy tensed up, anticipating the questions and more empathy. "Hey Perce, I heard. Are you okay?"

Percy hunched his shoulders, "I don't know, not really. Are you mad at me? 'Cause I know this isn't exactly something people take lightly." Percy cringed. "Especially when that person is the one who's saved them for the past five years." Grover's eyes were sad as he said, "I would never be mad at you, Perce. You have a lot going on and everyone has a breaking point. Tartarus is one of many people's breaking point, it's fine to be feeling like this. Although I wish you'd talked to someone before harming yourself. We could've stopped it before it started."

Juniper bounced up and sat down beside Grover, grabbing Percy's hands and squeezing them in her tiny ones. "Oh Percy, I'm so sorry! Nobody knew it was this bad." Percy tried his hardest not to jerk away from Juniper's touch, but when she reached up to push his sleeve up Percy tore away quickly, staring at her. She looked ready to burst into tears, but not because of Percy's actions towards _her_, but because of his actions towards _himself. _

"Can I see, Percy?" Juniper asked gently. "I just want to help."

Percy thought about that. Then he shook his head and said, "Not right now. Maybe later. Maybe." He pushed his food away and stood up. "I'm going back to my cabin. Tell Chiron I won't be at activities today." Then he left before even touching his food. Grover and Juniper exchanged worried glances and watched him go. Everyone watched Percy leave, confused on why he was going to early and where.

Juniper stood up to follow him but Grover grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down. "Just leave him. He has a lot more going on with him than we know, I can sense it. But whatever it is, it's bigger than him and he just needs to let it out. We can go talk to him later."

Grover didn't exactly know where 'letting it out' was going and Percy sprinted to the lake, not slowing down as he reached the dock, feet pounding on it and then jumping into the water without a second's hesitation. He sunk like a to the bottom of the lake, softly landing on the muddy sludge. There was about three seconds of silence before it was like Long Islands very own personalized hurricane made by Percy Jackson himself. He sat under the water and screamed until his throat was raw, letting out all of the anger that had swelled inside of him. Waves pounded on the shore and the dock was swaying back and forth, riding the waves. Mist sprayed above the water, creating a fog as the waves got more ferocious.

Percy could feel his energy draining as the storm went on, but he wasn't letting up anytime soon. A few Naiads had tried to talk to him, but after seeing how angry the son of Poseidon was they left him be.

Above the water, standing about twenty feet away from the rocky shore of the lake was almost half the camp, watching the angry water. Everyone knew it was Percy and nobody was daring to walk into that storm to stop him. So they watched, waiting for a slow in the swirling waves. Ten minutes later it abruptly stopped, leaving everything soaked. All the campers there looked towards Annabeth as if expecting her to do something.

"What?" she snapped. Katie raised an eyebrow, cocking her head towards the water and saying, "Maybe you should go talk to him or something. It stopped so suddenly something's gotta be up with him. And you're the only person he'll listen to. You know what happened to Jake the last time he'd tried to calm Percy down during one of his anxiety attacks."

Annabeth sucked in a breath then walked towards the water and her shoes were soaked by the time she made it to the waters edge. Taking them off then peeling off her socks Annabeth frowned, not sure where her boyfriend was. And she wasn't a daughter of Poseidon.

_But you are a daughter of Athena, _Annabeth thought. _He would be in the center of the storm and it started fading about where we were standing and about over there. _Annabeth did a few calculations then slowly waded into the water, feeling the freezing liquid rise over her knees, then thighs, then waist. Then she dived in.

It was murky, but she didn't even need to see really, because someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. Then her ears popped and she could breathe, realizing she was in a bubble with a troubled Percy in front of her. She reached for him and held his face. His eyes were red and bloodshot and his cheeks were flushed.

"Percy, what's the matter?" Annabeth asked. She gently stroked her thumb over his cheekbone and studied his face with worried eyes. He took a shaking breath and said, "How does everyone know already? Do they know that my step dad . . . that he-he-"

"Shh," Annabeth shushed. "Shh, Chiron told them. No one did it to hurt you, he told them as a precaution, so that people are more sensitive to you. I know, I heard some of the conversations at dinner and some weren't nice, but people are just worried. They're scared. You're the strongest demigod at camp and people depend on you. That's why Chiron told them. So that they can give you a break."

Percy trembled. "What about the stuff about Gabe?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No, no one knows about that yet. But if things get to serious Chiron's going to have to tell at least the cabin leaders. Oh Percy, it's okay. You're safe. Gabe's gone, he can't get you anymore. Your mom's wonderful, she'll understand. You're her son, Percy. It'll be all right." She leaned forward so her forehead lightly touched his. His breathing was heavy and Annabeth felt goosebumps on his arms.

After a couple more minutes of soothing Percy, Annabeth let him pull her to the surface. Everyone had left except for Chiron, who was waiting patiently. Annabeth was unforunately soaked to the bone, so she let Percy dry her off. Then Chiron cleared his throat and said, "Perseus, Grover's told me that there's more bothing you than we know of. What is it?"

Percy paled, then shook his head. "I can't tell you."

Chiron frowned. Annabeth rolled her eyes and sighed, "What he means is he's not _ready _to tell you. But he will, right Percy." He grumbled something then stomped off to his cabin.

When he got there he took off his sweater and stared with cold eyes at the dark scars. "You ruined my life," he cursed. "People think your weak now. You should just kill yourself, Percy." Yet something inside Percy told him, you're to chicken to take your own life.

He started thinking about Gabe. He had first hit Percy when he was only eight. And up until he was twelve he had gotten a beating every single day. The thought made him shiver and wrap his arms around himself protectively. Nobody has known until now. Not a single person.

_"Hey punk, where do you think you're going?" Gabe slurred. Percy froze right in front of the door, not daring to move a muscle. He swallowed hard when he heard Gabe grunt as he stood up and lumber towards him. Mom wasn't home, she was out at a writers workshop and Gabe was here, alone with ten year old Percy. _

_"I-I-" Percy stuttered. "I was just going to go for a walk. I'm sorry, I should have asked you first. But you never let me go anyways!" _

_Gabe glowered and grabbed Percy's shoulder roughly, whipping him around. "Wrong tone, bastard. I have given you so much freedom in your life and you're still wanting more? What more do you want!?" Gabe's fist came in contact with Percy's jaw and he cried out in pain. "You greedy-" A kick to his stomach. "Little-" Percy's head was slammed against the wall. "-BASTARD! I've given you everything! And do you know what your punishment is?" _

_Percy knew better than to answer. _

_Gabe threw him to the floor and kicked him in the side of the head. Percy's vision exploded with red and he cried out, trying to crawl away, but Gabe kicked him down again. He stepped on Percy's hand, pressing down and down, harder and harder. Percy screamed, tears ran down his face. With one last hard kick to Percy's ribs, Gabe left._

At least he didn't draw blood, _Percy thought. He was trembling and his side was on fire, his head pounding and his hand was numb. Mom wouldn't be home anytime soon. She never was. Percy rolled over onto his side and stared at the beer bottle in front of him. _

_This was his life. This was what Percy came home to everyday. And it would never stop tormenting him. _

* * *

**Hello! So many chapters so soon! :O Okay, so I'm new and all, yada yada yada. And I just started this story. But I'm leaving on a vacation tomorrow and I'll be gone for two weeks. We're going to a cabin and we won't have any wifi, so this means I won't be updating for two weeks. **

**Terrible news, I know.**

**But I will write in a notebook while I'm there! So you will be getting some updates in AFTER those two weeks. I'll be back on August 11th. **

**Anywho, please review because that would be great! What do they say? Random acts of kindness :) **

_**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**_


	4. Chapter 4

**SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Lucy by Skillet**

**Chapter 4: Worthless**

* * *

Percy squirmed, uncomfortable about what he would have to tell Chiron. He was chewing on his lip nervously as he waited for the centaur. He was just outside the door in the hall, talking with Annabeth, talking about something Percy knew wasn't good. He ran through what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. After trying different approaches mentally, he decided to just blurt it out and get it done and done.

Finally Chiron opened the door and slipped into the small, clustered room. He was in his wheel chair form, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he studied Percy. Then he asked, "Perseus, Annabeth told me that this is a very serious matter. I'm guessing it has to do with the other things?"

Percy didn't have to ask what 'other things' were. Cutting, suicide, anxiety, bla, bla, bla. But he answered honestly anyways. "Gabe abused me. That's all. Nothing more." Chiron wouldn't be so easily swayed and he folded his hands, "Are you sure? This isn't a light matter. If this has been on your shoulders for all these years without anyone knowing, I'm sure there's more."

"No," Percy grumbled. "Sure he almost killed me a couple times, but he didn't _touch _me if that's what your thinking. He wasn't that sick." But at the same time his eyes cast downwards, avoiding Chiron's gaze. The wise centaur could easily see through the demigod and didn't speak for a couple seconds. Seconds turned to awkward minutes of silence. Percy didn't even make an attempt to speak.

It was Chiron who did. "Tell me the truth, child."

"It was one of his friends," Percy admitted sheepishly. He wiggled in the chair. Chiron's eyebrows shot up and he asked, "His friend _molested _you?" Percy's cheek were flaming and his scratched harshly down his scarred forearm. His tongue couldn't form the words right.

"He didn't molest me," Percy choked out. "He threatened to. A couple times he 'accidently' brushed against me, whether it was his hand or . . . other parts. But Gabe never let it get farther than that. That was the only good thing about him. But no, he never really did anything. I'm just sensitive to that stuff. And no one understands. They all tell me to grow up and forget it. I've tried. But it's like it's burned into my skull, reminding me everyday. 'Oh, you're depressed. You're suicidal. What kind of hero are you? No one wants an abused, near-raped hero. Just get the Hades out of here. Kill yourself. Do you think people want you around?' Every single flipping day. It's like a stupid mantra."

The room was dropped into a deafening silence. Two tears dropped from either one of Percy's eyes, splattering onto his jeans. More followed there path, heavy and thick tears.

Percy wasn't a heavy crier. He didn't sob, he didn't whimper, didn't make a noise. The tears would just come fast and hard down his face, leaving ghostly trails behind. His shoulders would hitch occasionally, as if he couldn't breathe. And most of the time he couldn't. Crying was-used to be-foreign to Percy. Now it was a daily thing.

And everybody knew.

"Would you like me to leave?" Chiron asked quietly. Percy shook his head and tried to be strong, but his body seemed to deflate on itself. He quickly wiped at his cheeks, which were already soaked with tears. Then he stood up and muttered, "I'll be in my cabin." Going across the camp to the cabins was harder than Percy was expecting. He almost broke twice and had to stop once and grab onto a tree to stop from collapsing.

At first his thoughts were fuzzed and he was confused about why he almost collapsed. But then as he evened out his breathing he heard it. He heard the insults from years ago, flying through his brain. Insults like _loser, freak, worthless. _Insults that he tried so hard to ignore and had succeeded at the time. But now-just like everything else-it was coming back clear as day.

_Why now? Why all at once? _Percy asked himself. _Why can't it just leave me alone?_

"Percy?" a voice asked, forcing Percy to focus in on it. He squinted and let go of the tree, the bark scraping his hands. The sleeve of his sweater slid up, revealing a few dark scars. But he was so confused he didn't even notice. "Percy? Are you okay?"

It was Katie Gardner. She was holding a potted plant, moving towards Percy with her eyebrows scrunched in worry. She put the pot down carefully and straightened up, hands out in case Percy's knee's gave out. She opened her mouth to speak, "Do you need some water? Are you having an attack?" Percy blinked, his eyes painfully unfocused. He grasped the tree to keep him up, but he kept sliding to the ground. Katie knelt down and quickly grabbed him before he fell over.

Katie started calling for help, but Percy stopped her. "No, Katie, I'm-I'm fine. Can I, um, ask you a question?" She nodded kindly. "Do you think I'm . . . What kind of flower is that?" It was obvious he was stalling, but Katie answered anyways.

"Its a Middlemist Camellia," she replied. "Now what do you really have to ask me?"

Percy swallowed hard, the cruel words still eating away at him. "Do-do you think I'm a freak?" Katie was taken aback. She frowned and said, "No. What makes you ask that?" Percy ignored her, "Do you think I'm a loser?" Katie again shook her head. "Do y-you think I'm worthless?"

"Percy, _what _is this all about?" Katie asked. "You aren't a freak, you aren't a loser and you are _not _worthless. Why are you asking me this?" Percy didn't meet her eyes and instead stood up unsteadily and pushed past her, going to his cabin.

Once he got there, he stumbled to the closet and pulled out the pocket knife. He flipped the blade open and didn't hesitate as he put his on his shoulder, quickly carving the word _worthless _into the skin. The pain was new, since he had never self harmed his shoulder. It stung painfully and Percy felt the blood trickle down his shoulder.

Next he moved to his right arm and slowly engraved _freak. _More words were spiralling towards him. Words from previous bullies. Words from teachers.

_You can't do anything right! Forget about trying, you are a failure!_

_Moron. What a loser. He's an unwanted freak show. _

_Moron. . . loser. . . freak . . . worthless . . . unwanted . . . failure . . . kill yourself already . . . stupid . . . nobody loves you . . . _

Percy's grip tightened on the knife and he pressed down harder with the point of the blade, dragging a nasty line through the word freak. Blood pulsed to the surface and dribbled to the floor. Flashbacks from everything were coming back. Gabe, Tartarus, bullies, everything.

There was a knock on the door. "Percy? Are you in there?"

Jason? What was Jason doing at Camp Half-Blood? Percy stood up, woozy from the blood seeping from his body. "O-one second!" He found some ambrosia and shoved it in his mouth. Then he slipped on a sweater and pulled down the sleeves till they covered his hands. And he opened the door, praying the bleeding had stopped.

"Hey Jason," Percy said, his voice wavering. The other demigod folded his arms and said, "Percy, I know. Chiron told me. You don't have to pretend." Percy let his face fall and his eyes skim down to Jason's shoes. He shrugged and whispered, "Yeah, but it's easier right now. You don't want to come in."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "No? Does it have to do with that?" He pointed to Percy's sleeve, right where his hand would be. A dark rusty brown colour was starting to stain cuff of the blue sweater. Percy cringed.

"Okay, I did it again. Just let it go. It's not a big deal, Jason," Percy mumbled. "I ate some ambrosia if it makes you feel better."

There was a heavy sigh from above Percy's bowed head and Jason said, "Can I see?" Percy squirmed and hesitated but then figured Jason was his cousin and had helped him after Tartarus. So he rolled up his sleeve and showed the word and line; the line was still bleeding slightly. Jason sucked in a breath and held it.

"Oh gods, Percy," he breathed. "That's a lot of scars . . . "

Percy tore down his sleeve again and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Annabeth iris-messaged me about you. And I was worried so I came over. Looks like I have a right to be worried." Jason tried to see past Percy into the room but when he couldn't he turned back to Percy's face. "Why did your arm say freak?"

Percy felt his chest contract and he struggled to get the answer. He felt small next to Jason. "Because I believe it. People used to always call me one. And other things." He pulled down his sweater so Jason could see the word 'worthless'. His head felt light showing Jason his cuts. But he didn't criticize him or judge him, it made Percy feel slightly better.

Without knowing what he was doing, Percy opened his door and quietly asked Jason if he could come inside. Jason hesitated when he saw the blood droplets on the floor.

"Only Annabeth and Chiron know this," Percy said quietly. His stomach was doing jumping jacks. "Um, you know Gabe? Like, my first step-dad."

Jason nodded. "Yes, why?" Percy's knees turned to jelly and he sat down hard on his bed. Then he managed, "H-he abused me." The tears came fast and hard. Jason was shocked at first, but soon awkwardly sat down beside his cousin and debated on what to do. When he saw Percy tremble he put his arm around him awkwardly and Percy seemed to fold into Jason. Jason immediately felt tears soak his t-shirt.

After about a minute of Percy crying he jerked away from Jason and gasped from breath. Sweat was making his hair stick to his head and scratched viciously at his arm. He was shaking and his legs gave out from under him, as if they had suddenly went numb. As soon as that happened Jason knew he was having an anxiety attack. Jason had witnessed Percy having them often after Tartarus and even more after the battle with Gaea. So he dropped down next to Percy and helped him onto the bed again.

"Percy, take a deep breath. I'm going to get Chiron or an Apollo kid. Just try to calm down." But Percy grabbed his wrist tightly and shook his head, "S-s-stay he-here. Don't l-leave." Jason stared at his cousin, who was green and sweating like crazy. Percy was still squeezing Jason's wrist tightly.

He seemed almost in pain and Jason could see it. "Percy, I have to get Chiron."

"NO!" Percy yelled. "Don't let him come back, Jason. Don't let him come back. Please."

"He isn't going to. He's gone," Jason said. Percy started tugging at his sweater, panting. Once the sweater came over his head, Jason saw how sweaty he was. He retched and sounded like he was going to through up. He stumbled away from Jason and pulled off his shirt. Jason stared at his cousins back, seeing the whipmarks there. It looked like Percy choking.

Then he fell backwards. Jason lunged forward but wasn't fast enough and Percy hit the ground with a loud thud, unconscious. He looked at the word _worthless_ on Percy's shoulder and his stomach jerked. This was what his cousin was living with everyday. Thinking he was worthless and a freak.

Thinking he wasn't good enough.

* * *

**I'm finally back from my vacation and I wrote this in a day, teehee. So, anyways, I hope you guys liked that chapter. I personally did anyways. It's super duper late, so I better go. **

**Please review! :) **

_**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**_


	5. Chapter 5

**SONG OF THE CHAPTER: To Feel Alive by IAMEVE (totally fits Thalia Grace/the entire Percy Jackson series. And yes, it was in the credits for the Sea of Monsters)**

**Chapter 5: Gabe Ugliano**

* * *

For the next few days, Percy didn't speak. He would occasionally say a word or two, but other than that, nothing. He'd stopped talking just after he had woken up from when he went unconscious in his cabin. Jason said he was only unconscious for a few seconds, but to Percy, it felt like a century. He had seen things he never wanted to remember. It was so intense he stopped talking. No one knew what was wrong. And no one knew what to do, so they called Sally Jackson and asked if she would take Percy home.

She had agreed, overly concerned for her son, but she told them she couldn't pick him up for another four days-Saturday. Till then, the camp would have to figure out what to do to keep Percy alive and out of trouble. Which was hard, since he was becoming more and more distant to the entire camp; even Annabeth.

* * *

"Percy Jackson, you will eat whether you want to or not," Annabeth said forcefully, watching her boyfriend from across the table. Chiron had given her special permission to sit with him during meals, but so far she'd only come to conclussion's that Percy only ate tiny morsel's of his food each meal. And during supper on Tuesday night, Percy was barely even looking at his food. "Percy, please. You need to eat. It's becoming really noticeable."

Percy just shrugged and hugged his arms around his stomach. Annabeth sighed turned the plate around in circle. She looked at the pizza slice, untouched, which was unnatural. He hadn't even taken a drink out of the blue coke.

People had started being more supportive of Percy being depressed, but some were still whispering behind his back. Jason had told Annabeth about the two words Percy had scarred into his skin. Neither of which were true, obviously, but Percy strongly believed them. No matter what Annabeth, Jason, Piper or Grover said. Finally Annabeth couldn't take it anymore.

"Open your mouth," she demanded. Percy looked at her and she raised an eyebrow, making him comply. Then she picked up the pizza and put it in his mouth. "Now close, bite and chew." Percy pulled away and Annabeth warned, "Percy, do as I say." So he slowly closed his mouth and tore off a piece of the pizza, chewing it. His face was turning a greeny-pale colour, concerning Annabeth. He shivered and looked down, telling her he didn't want any more.

Chiron was watching the two. He could see a few dark scars peeking out from under Percy's sweater sleeves and the sight made him tense. Annabeth was saying something to him, but he wouldn't look up, shaking his head. Chiron feared for the boy, was truly scared for him. He had dealed with suicidal campers many times, but Percy was different somehow.

"Chiron? Uh, sir?" a voice said. It was Jason. Chiron gestured to him to continue. "Um, Annabeth might have told you, but, uh, Percy cut the words worthless and freak into himself. And he thinks he's a loser and unwanted. And other things I'm sure."

Jason shifted his weight, waiting for Chiron's reply. All it was was, "Go back to your seat, Jason." Jason returned to his seat and ate the rest of his chicken alone.

After supper was the camp fire. Annabeth begged Percy to come, but he shook his head stubbornly. She had tried one to many times and Percy snapped. He looked at her angrily and said in a gruff voice, "Leave me alone." He walked away from Annabeth before she could see the tears trailing down his cheeks. But he didn't go to his cabin. He went to the Amphitheatre where he knew no one would bother him. The only person in the building was Mrs. O' Leary. When she saw Percy's blotchy cheeks she sat up and whimpered. Percy walked up to her and patted her flank.

"Hey girl," he said quietly. Suddenly he was met by a large wet tongue. Percy fell backwards from the force and wiped his face. He laughed and smiled, eyes still wet with tears. But he laughed anyways. Mrs. O' Leary panted and barked, excited that she had made her sad owner smile. Percy helped himself up, wiping his face clean of slobber. When he stopped smiling his brain was washed over of terrible images, making his breathing irregular.

Mrs. O' Leary whined. She nudged Percy with her nose and he just sunk down to the ground, leaning on her side. She laid down and put her head down, whimpering at him. Percy put a hand on her head and took a shaky breath. She let out a high whine and licked his knee. "I feel so helpless, Mrs. O' Leary. I've never been like this. I don't know what's wrong with me." He buried his face in his hands and tried to forget everything, but it was impossible. Some things you just couldn't forget. Percy stood up and hugged Mrs. O' Leary then turned and went to his cabin. He could see and hear the bonfire, but it wasn't very high or bright. He snuck past it successfully and slipped into his cabin.

Percy went to the fountain and threw a drachma in, saying, "O' Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please show me Sally Jackson, Upper Manhattan." The mist shimmered and Sally came in to view, talking with Paul. When she saw Percy she almost broke into tears.

"Oh my baby boy," she said. Paul turned around as well. "Percy, honey, are you alright?" Percy struggled to keep himself standing and he felt weak and dizzy. He felt the tears build up in his eyes and he whispered, "Did Chiron tell you about Gabe?" Sally looked like she wanted to reach through the message and hug him.

"Yes, he told me baby. I'm so sorry I never knew. But Gabe's gone now, he can't hurt you. And Paul wouldn't even think about hurting you. Your safe, sweetie," Sally was squeezing Paul's hand tightly. Percy was breathing heavily and his moms words were barely getting through his brain. He let a tear slip through as he said, "Are you mad about me cutting?" At this Paul sucked in a breath.

But Sally shook her head. "No, I could never be mad at you. Listen, honey, when you come back Paul told me they have a wonderful school counselor at Goode. He'll help you." Percy nodded and wiped his eyes, "It's worse than you think mom. I did it twice today. It just gets worse and I can't handle it anymore. I don't want to be a demigod."

Moms eyes glistened with tears. "Shh, baby, shh. We're going to help you get through it. We'll help you handle what you can. It'll be alright. I'm going to pick you up in a few days, okay? Paul and I will be waiting at exactly nine on Saturday."

"I want to come home now, mom," Percy said, more tears falling. His throat closed up and he couldn't say anything else. Sally Jackson stared with pained eyes at her son, "I know, I know. I have to go now, I'll be there Saturday. I love you, Percy." The iris-message was cut and Percy dropped like a dead weight, his head smacking hard against the ground. It was getting dark outside and the sound of the camp at the fire drifting quietly into his cabin.

Percy pulled himself up and opened his door, going to the campfire. Nobody noticed him in the dark, walking up to the fire. He stopped behind Annabeth and tapped her elbow. She turned around and jumped off the bleacher. She put a hand on the side of his face-which was illuminated from the fire-and said, "Are you okay? Is there something you need to talk about?"

Percy shook his head, "N-no. I just-just need a hug." Annabeth's jaw clenched as she herself tried not to cry at Percy's vulnerability. She pulled him into a hug and he buried his face into her hair. She clenched the back of his shirt in her fist and lightly kissed the nape of his neck. He shivered and pulled away, kissing her on the lips. She kissed him back and was the one who pulled away.

"Come on, let's go to your cabin," Annabeth said softly. She took Percy's hand and laced her fingers through his, pulling him away from the campfire. The singing voices faded and they had faint light to see where they were going. Percy opened the door of his cabin and let Annabeth in first. She cupped his face, hers inches away from his lips, "Percy, listen to me. You are perfect. You are not worthless, you aren't a loser or a freak, anything people say about you isn't true. People love you, you're a hero. You survived the Second Titan War, you survived Tartarus, you survived the war against Gaea. These words are _nothing. _They're just jealous. You're stronger than them. They are meaningless words. They're lies."

Percy closed his eyes, but Annabeth wasn't done.

"And Gabe is _gone. _Even if he were still here, you've grown, you know how to handle yourself. You know defense moves. He wouldn't be able to touch you. We're going to be your wall; your mom, me, Jason, Piper, even Clarisse. We won't let anyone hurt you. Life's going to get better, you don't have to feel like you're feeling anymore. It's over. Everything. We haven't had any problems since we defeated Gaea. There are other ways to feel better. We're demigods. We have our tactics. _Promise _me that when you go back to the city that you won't cause _any _harm to yourself? Promise me, Percy."

The promise was sealed with a kiss, Percy being unable to speak. Annabeth tangled her fingers in his hair, her other hand felt the rough cuts on his shoulder that said _worthless. _Percy was clutching her waist tightly, pulling her closer to his body. Their lips molded together. Annabeth's legs were tingling, like any minute they would give out. Her and Percy hadn't kissed like this since after fighting Gaea. Annabeth had always been so terrified about his PTSD she didn't now what would trigger an attack.

But now, feeling his lips against hers again, she almost forgot everything. Almost. But still in the back of her head on instinct she was reminding herself to be careful, that any moment Percy could snap again from flashbacks. It had happened plenty before, him breaking down at the most random of times.

Before she knew it, Annabeth was on Percy's bed, Percy himself pressed on top of her, not breaking the kiss. Annabeth ran her hands down his back and when she reached his Achille's heel she lightly ran a thumb over it. Percy shuddered and then dropped his head to the crook of her neck, breathing heavily.

"I can't promise, Annabeth," he said in a strained voice. "I'm sorry. I just can't." He rolled off of her and bounced onto the bed beside his girlfriend, staring up at the roof. Annabeth turned onto her side and looked at him. She saw a tear leak out the corner of his eye.

"Hey, don't cry," she whispered. "Just try your hardest, okay? It's okay. Please don't cry." Percy grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. His breathing evened and Annabeth knew he had fallen asleep. She nuzzled into his chest and fell asleep as well.

* * *

"I NEVER KNEW YOU WERE A DAUGHTER OF POSEIDON," a voice screamed in Annabeth's ear the next morning. She shot up and was met face to face with the daughter of Zeus.

Annabeth glared at her and pushed herself off the bed. "For the love of Aphrodite, Thalia, do you have no respect for sleeping people? Percy's still sleeping." Thalia shrugged and stepped back to allow Annabeth to stretch, saying, "What do I care? It's time to wake up anyways, you guys missed breakfast. You missed our grand entrance. Ya know, the hunters."

"You're _all _here?" Annabeth asked. She put the blanket back on Percy and shoved Thalia out of the Poseidon cabin. Campers were running back and forth, calling to each other, doing activities. The Hunter of Artemis spread her hands, "What can I say? I'm just the life of the party, my Hunters go where I go. Now. What's up with Kelp-Head?"

The two walked around a group of Aphrodite girls and Annabeth answered, "He's got PTSD, you know that." Thalia frowned, "No, the other thing. Jason told me it was big and then to come right away. He never told me _what _though. So, what is it?" There was a long pause.

Annabeth stopped by a younger girl from her cabin who was struggling to fix her armour straps. She helped her and still thought about how to answer Thalia. "He hasn't been holding up well," she started. The little girl ran off. "He cuts and he thinks about killing himself." Thalia's eyes bugged and she coughed, "Come again? We're talking about Percy Jackson, right? Like, you aren't talking about some comedian or something?"

"No, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. Saviour of Olympus, the guy you just about woke up. Yeah, same guy. He cuts and is suicidal. I know, a lot to take in. So Jason was right, it's big," Annabeth said, briskly walking to her cabin. Thalia followed along behind her, mouth open, still processing what she had just heard. After a rough shake of her head she asked, "I can see Nico being like this, but Percy . . . ? There's no way. Are you sure it isn't just a rumour?"

Malcolm smiled at Annabeth and she gave a quick quirk of her mouth and moved to the long table of battle strategies in the middle of the cabin. She shuffled through them while Thalia waited for an answer. "It's not a rumour, Thals. I saw them myself. He told me himself. It's completely and terrifyingly true. Did you know he cut the words worthless and freak into his arm and shoulder? Everything from his childhood is swamping him now. It was worse than we thought."

"His past?"

"Yeah, it sounds like he was completely tormented everyday by bullies and Gabe. He never seemed to get a break. Gabe abused him. He hasn't given any details about it yet, but it sounded bad. It's way to much for him to handle all at once." Annabeth asked for a pencil and scribbled something on one of the blueprints. Then she turned back to Thalia and said. "But Sally's coming to pick him up on Saturday. He's apparently going to go to counseling."

Thalia rose an eyebrow. "Counseling from a mortal? How come?"

"He's sick of being a demigod, they're trying to get as mundane as possible."

Suddenly the Athena cabin door busted open, making several people jump and others reach for weapons. Annabeth's hand went to her sheath but froze when she realized it was Percy. He was pale and his hair was bedraggled. He was wearing a t-shirt, no sweater, and lots of eyes were being drawn to his darkly scarred arms. But he didn't seem to notice.

"Hi Thalia," he said. Percy was fidgety, and twisted his finger. "Annabeth, Annabeth, I-I-" He felt his cheeks with both palms and wiped sweat off his forehead. He had a bright look of fear in his eyes and Annabeth took a step forward. She gently wrapped her fingers around his wrists and pulled them away from his cheeks, "What is it, Percy? What happened?"

Percy looked at her, then at the floor and then back at her. "I just saw him. I just saw Gabe, Annabeth. I swear. He was standing outside the barrier and he turned and looked at right at me, as if he could see into camp. What if he can get in? What if he figures out a way?"

"Shh, Percy, Gabe's gone, remember? There's nothing to worry about. You're probably just seeing things. Come on, show me where you think you saw him," Annabeth said. She followed Percy to the rock wall and stopped, pointing to the barrier.

And there stood Gabe Ugliano, staring directly at Percy.

* * *

**Hope you liked that chapter! **

**OMG GABE UGLIANO IS ALIVE. How did that happen? So Percy isn't hallucinating. Anyways, I think I might be updating soon again, but I don't know for sure. **

**Please review and be awesome because it would cool! :)**

_**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**_


	6. Chapter 6

**SONG OF THE CHAPTER: Turning Point by . . . ? [ThePrimeCronus on YouTube]**

**Chapter 6: Meet Skotadis; Darkness is Coming**

* * *

Annabeth immediately directed Percy away from the climbing wall the second she saw Gabe. He was already shaking and sweating and she knew she had to get him away before anything too severe happened. Thalia was running towards them with her Hunter gracefullness. She stopped in front of Annabeth and Percy, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder quickly before letting it slip off. She looked towards Annabeth, "What's going on?"

"Gabe," Annabeth growled. "I don't know how, but he's alive and he's here. We need to tell Chiron. You wanna tell him or stay with Percy? He's on the edge of having an attack." Thalia looked over her shoulder, but Gabe was gone. She said, "I don't even know what's going on, so I guess I'll stay with Perce. You better explain to me in full detail about this whole thing after." Percy was passed off to Thalia, who sat him down on a tree stump and Annabeth sprinted towards the Big House.

Percy's hands were trembling as he ran them through his hair. He was breathing heavily and grabbed Thalia's hand, making her flinch at the touch of a male. But she knew Percy just needed to know someone was there with him. He squeezed her hand tightly and hiccupped for breath. Thalia knelt down in front of him and said, "Listen to me, Gabe can't get in here. He's a mortal. Even by loosest definitions. But he's a mortal. We don't even know if he's real yet. But you're safe. Got it?"

"M'lady, what are you doing? That's a filthy male," a voice said. Thalia groaned, "Phoebe, he isn't filthy. He just-"

"No," Percy jerked away from Thalia's hand. "She's right. I'm a filthy, worthless person. I-I'm not good enough. I should just die. Forget about me." He stood up and wiped at the tears, shaking even worse than before. His chest caught as he choked in a sob. He pulled out Riptide and Thalia sprung up, grabbing his wrist. He was still only in a t-shirt and she felt a few rough cuts scratch her palm.

Phoebe looked disgusted that she had actually touched him, but Thalia was more concerned about what he was going to do with the sword. "Percy, no," she said firmly. "You are not filthy and you are most definitely no worthless. Annabeth's going to be back right away and Chiron's going to see if it really was Gabe. And if it was, we'll make sure he can't get to you. Just put the sword away."

The sound of hooves thudding on the earth drew Thalia's attention to over her shoulder. She saw Chiron galloping towards the climbing wall, Annabeth behind him going to Percy and Thalia. Annabeth saw Percy with his sword out and her eyes widened. She pushed Phoebe out of the way and grabbed Percy's sword hand. He dropped Riptide and Annabeth hugged him tightly.

When she pulled back she closed her eyes and just held Percy's hands. Leaving her eyes closed she snarled, "What did Phoebe do?" Thalia licked her lips and said, "She went all anti-male on him. He started talking about how he thinks he's worthless and stuff." She glowered at Phoebe as did Annabeth. Percy had a transparent tear sliding down his cheek and Annabeth flicked with away. She kissed his bowed forehead lightly and Thalia shifted her weight.

Chiron trotted up and said, "I'm calling a meeting for all the counselor's. That was Gabe, there's no questioning it. Annabeth, child, gather all of the cabin leader's and come to the Big House."

Annabeth paled and looked at Percy. She made him look at her. "Everything's going to be all right, okay? Gabe can't get through the barrier's. Come on, let's go get the counselor's." She pulled Percy along and stopped at the Aphrodite cabin first. She knocked on the door and a boy with blonde hair answered. Annabeth lifted a hand and asked, "Is Piper in there? Counselor meeting."

The boy called for Piper and she showed up. "Hey, everything okay?"

"Gabe's back," Annabeth said in a monotone voice. "We're having a meeting." Piper pursed her lips and looked at Percy. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll head down to the Big House." Annabeth nodded and headed to the rest of the cabins. After they got all the cabin leaders they headed to the Big House and stopped just outside. Annabeth turned to face Percy, "Do you want to come? If you don't want to, you have full permission to pass. I'll explain what I can to them."

Percy shook his head and took a deep breath. "N-no. I think I can do this. I just want to go get a sweater first. Go ahead and start without me." Annabeth nodded and turned around, going into the Big House. Percy went the other way, heading to his cabin. He opened his door and immediately felt compelled to grab his knife.

Unfortunately, the pull was to strong. He went over to his bed and reached under his pillow, pulling out the pocket knife. He flipped the blade open. Then he placed it on his wrist and pressed, pulling across.

It immediately felt better. He did it again and again. It felt as if he hadn't cut in months, when really he had done it just yesterday. Percy felt sick smiling, but he felt so much better. After cutting his wrists he brought the tip of the blade down to his waist and upside wrote the word _reject. _He felt the blades tip touch the bone of his hip and he cringed. After he finished terribly writing the word he moved to the other hip and wrote _ignored. _Finally he ate some ambrosia so no one would suspect anything and watched the cuts turn into scars. He inhaled deeply and put on a sweater then headed down to the Big House.

When he entered everyone stopped talking and looked at him. He put his head down and shuffled into a chair between Annabeth and Travis. Across from him was Clarisse-who was scowling deeply-and Piper-who had her hands folded tightly, showing how tense she was. Jason was gnawing on his lip nervously, reclining in his chair as if he was completely comfortable. And at the end of the table was Chiron in Centaur form, with tail swishing anxiously.

"First off, how did it happen?" Jason asked, breaking the silence. Percy looked up at him and tapped his fingers on his leg, forcing off horrible flashbacks. Annabeth had her thinking face on and Percy could practically hear her brain working hard. The silence settled over everyone again as they thought about how Gabe could have possibly come back. Percy didn't add any effort for it, thinking about anything other than his abusive stepfather.

Annabeth looked up and closed her eyes. When she reopened them she said, "They are myth's that the blood of a god and the tears of a Titan mixed together can reverse anything, but there has never been anything recorded that could prove this true. But if it was the tears of a Titan and a gods blood, then obviously something major is going on. Somebody wants revenge on Percy."

"Everyone wants revenge on him, he-" Clarisse stopped midsentence. "Nemesis. She's revenge, it could have easily been her blood. And for a Titan's tears, Kronos would do anything to get back at the punk." Annabeth raised an eyebrow and Jason rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Clarisse punched him and Jason shocked her in return.

Chiron ran a hand down his face. "Let's keep the fighting down to a minimum, heroes. Annabeth and Clarisse could be very correct. If they are, we'll be expecting something big. We will have to raise our guards, search the perimeters of the camp. If Gabe could see into the camp, he could just as easily get in. The blood of a god and the tears of a Titan are stronger than Thalia's tree. Ancient powers are at work."

"Like, Kronos ancient?" Connor asked. Chiron looked out the window, "Older than that, dear boy. Something too big our minds cannot even start to process it, let alone understand it. For now we make sure Percy's step father-"

"Ex step father," Percy mumbled.

Chiron cleared his throat, "Percy's _ex _step father doesn't get into camp. If he does, do not kill him. Bring him to me and I will decide his fate from there. He may be posessing something very dangerous. Does everybody understand?"

There were many grumbled of yeses and okay's, but Clarisse thudded a fist on the table and growled, "There isn't anything we can't handle. Our generation has fought more than anyone else, I'm not letting some drunk overpower me." Annabeth's eyes were dark with an emotion Percy couldn't decipher. Chiron merely said, "You're strong, Clarisse. You will be even stronger if you resisted meddling with something you don't understand. I would prefer you alive."

"That's a first," Travis snorted. Percy hid a smile behind his hand as Clarisse shot him a death glare. Will Solace raised two fingers and said, "We could do night watches. I'll have Kayla, Morice, Laura and me take tonight." Chiron nodded his head and dismissed the meeting, reminding them all to keep a sharp eye and an even sharper mind. Percy followed Annabeth out of the Big House.

Suddenly she spun around, making Percy stop short. He gave her a look like, _thank's for that. Appreciated it. _She just glared at him, then her eyebrows softened and she asked, "Show me. I know you did it again from the way you walked in and kept your head down. And I can smell the ambrosia on your breath." Percy shivered and looked over his shoulder, but no one was there.

"On my waist," he said sheepishly. He lifted his shirt and pushed down his jeans on his hip just enough so she could see the word _reject. _Annabeth touched the dark scars lightly and shook her head, "That's not true." Percy showed her the other word and she looked at him. "Why do you feel ignored? Is there something I'm missing?"

Percy shrugged. "I dunno. I just feel ignored or something. It doesn't matter anyways. You should get to Pegasus riding, I think I might wander around until lunch. See ya then I guess." Annabeth gave him a quick kiss before running off towards the stables. Percy stood with his hands in his pockets for a little bit before going in the direction of the forest. He knew that he wasn't supposed to go into the forest alone or without armour or anything that would probably save his life. But for the moment, he couldn't care less.

* * *

Gabe was like a lion who couldn't quite reach his prey. He would seem to prowl along the borders of camp. He didn't step across or make any sort of threatening move, but either way it was making the campers restless and uneasy. He didn't exactly leave the camp borders, but he would disappear for a while, then appear a milisecond later. It was strange, one second you would see him, then you would turn around and he'd be gone. And then a second later he's back.

It made Annabeth furious and protective.

Yet, she obeyed Chiron's orders and didn't engage contact with Percy's worst enemy. She ignored him as best she could. Which was hard when he would send signals to her boyfriend that could only be translated into, 'Your going to get beat so hard when I get my hands on you' and 'Remember my fist? It's going to come your way, harder than before'. Percy had seen these signal's and would have to be given a couple minutes to push away his panic and anxiety. It made Gabe smug that he had broke Percy.

Annabeth was in the middle of telling Percy he was going to be alright when she saw the son of Hades approaching camp and Gabe Ugliano was twenty metres away from him. It was Gabe who noticed Nico first. Annabeth started panicking, knowing that if Percy saw his younger friend out there he would freak. She knelt down in front of Percy and made him look at her.

"I need you to go get Chiron for me, okay? Listen to me carefully, are you listening?" Annabeth asked. Percy nodded. Annabeth put her hands on the sides of his face. "Nico is out there right now, with Gabe-" Percy's eyes brightened with panic and fear. "Percy, you can't panic. If you want to help Nico, you have to stay calm. He's a big kid, he know's how to take care of himself. We're going to get Chiron and other's. You need to go and get Chiron, got it?"

Percy tried to look over his shoulder, but Annabeth kept a firm grip on his face. "No, you don't have to see what's happening. Go get Chiron without turning around. If you want to know what's happening, Nico's fine. Now go. Don't look behind you."

Annabeth let Percy go and he ran to the Big House, following her orders and not turning around. Annabeth pulled out her dagger and looked at Nico Di Angelo, who had his sword out and was angrily listening to something Gace was saying. So far, nothing life threatening was happening.

At least, not until the barrier shattered like glass and Gabe stepped through, holding a limp Nico Di Angelo by the neck. He sneered at Annabeth and said, "Hello, Annabeth, I believe you have Percy. We have . . . unfinished buisness that needs to be attended to."

"I won't let you do that, _Gabe,_" Annabeth snarled.

"My name isn't Gabe anymore," so-called Gabe said. "My name is Skotadis._ I am the darkness_."

* * *

**PLEASE READ! \/ \/ \/**

**Hello! Okay, first things first, Skotadis is not a real thing in Greek mythology. I made 'im up. And neither is the thing about a gods blood and Titan's tears to be able to reverse anything; even death. That I also made up. And since I made it up, I should probably explain it a little bit. **

**So, the blood and tears is pretty straight forward. You mix the two together and you get this really epic potion that can reverse anything. Legit, anything. Death, being turned to stone, losing a battle, etc. Or even the smaller things like hunger, a scratch, losing money, it can reverse it so it's fixed. All though it is extremely powerful and is said to bring bad luck. The demigods have only heard myths about it and have no real proof it works.**

**And Skotadis (Sko-tah-deez) is the Darkness. He was around long before the Titans and ruled the earth, creating the very first Dark Ages. He didn't let any sun shine, he created rampages and bloodbaths, he tortured people with nightmares and technically was the master of all the tiny slaves. He wasn't (isn't) a Titan nor a God, he was (is) considered an Epochi. He is widely known as Scouro Vasilia; which means Dark King. Twelve thousand years before the Titan's Skotadis was defeated, but how it was not recorded. He has been a shadow of Greek Mythology, leaving no information on him for the demigods.**

**Yes. I made him up and his story, and personally, I think he's cool. :D He seems pretty awesome. I'll be letting out more information on him next chapter! So keep reading!**

_**~xTheAnonymousWriterx**_


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